Stress Reduction Class Returns

Stress Reduction Class Returns

Research shows that stress can greatly impact the body, even causing illnesses. A ThedaCare class at Riverside Medical Center (RMC) will provide ways to recognize, reduce and respond to stress.

“Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction” will be held three consecutive Thursdays, Oct. 17, 24 and 31 at RMC-900 Building.

Barb Achten, BS, a licensed massage therapist who is teaching the classes, said participants will discover how unconscious thoughts and feelings can increase stress and undermine well-being. They will learn how to develop inner resources that respond rather than react to stressors. This improves self-esteem, reduces physical and psychological symptoms associated with stress, and results in a greater ability to relax.

“We are learning some very real skills as to how to come back to being in the now” said Achten. “Stress is a fact of modern life, and it takes conscious effort and practice to not get caught up in it.”

Achten, who has been teaching mindfulness since the 1990s, trained with Jon Kabat-Zinn, head of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center's Stress Reduction Clinic. Kabat-Zinn, a best-selling author, helped propel mindfulness meditation into the mainstream with his books including “Full Catastrophe Living" and "Wherever You Go, There You Are."

This program will run from 6:30-8 p.m. The cost is $20 per person. Each person must register separately. To register, call (715) 258-1119 or visit www.thedacare.org and click on Classes.

Riverside Medical Center is a 25-bed acute-care, critical access hospital located in Waupaca. Riverside Medical Center has previously been rated among the “100 Top Hospitals™” in the United States by Solucient, Inc. Riverside Medical Center was founded in 1955 and employs more than 300 people, making it one of the five largest employers in the area.

ThedaCare™ is a community health system consisting of five hospitals: Appleton Medical Center, Theda Clark Medical Center, New London Family Medical Center, Shawano Medical Center, and Riverside Medical Center in Waupaca. ThedaCare also includes ThedaCare Physicians, ThedaCare Behavioral Health, and ThedaCare at Home. ThedaCare is one of the largest employers in Northeast Wisconsin with more than 6,175 employees. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!